Following a mix-up in scheduling, which had moved the Escambia County versus B.C. Rain game to this Thursday, the two schools have decided to move the game to Atmore Friday night.

With the change, the Blue Devils now have a fifth home game evening out their schedule to five games in Atmore and five on the road.

Blue Devils head coach Mark Heaton said he did not find out about the change in dates until he spoke with B.C. Rain head football coach Eric Scott.

“I spoke with coach (Eric) Scott on Sunday,” Heaton said. “We were trying to get some paperwork settled, and he informed me the game had been moved to a Thursday, which was the first that I had heard about it.”

After speaking with Scott on Sunday, Heaton contacted B.C. Rain’s athletic director Derrick Gray on Monday to find a solution.

Heaton said if the game could not have been rescheduled it would have created a mess.

“It would have really messed us up because there would have been transportation issues because we have a road volleyball game that night,” Heaton said. “I spoke with their athletic director on Monday, and we decided the best option would be to move the game to Atmore if they could not find us anywhere to play Friday night. What we did was rework the contract for them to play here this year, and we will go down there next year. We will split both gates, so both sides come out good financially.”

Adding a fifth home game to the schedule has the Blue Devils and their coaches excited.

Heaton said it is a great thing not only for the school, but for the community.

“I’m excited about it,” Heaton said. “Gives us another game at home, which evens everything out with five home games and five on the road. The Lord really blessed us, and I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for the kids and for the community as well.”

After last week’s game drew one of the school’s largest gates ever, Heaton hopes the same happens this week.

“I really expect to see another large crowd,” Heaton said. “Our kids did a great job of representing the school. There has been a lot of positive feedback, and I expect the crowds to continue to grow.”

The Blue Devils and Red Raiders kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Herbert Barnes Stadium.